Overview

• In a May 26 New Yorker interview, LuPone referred to Kecia Lewis as a “b—-” and said Audra McDonald was “not a friend,” triggering widespread criticism.
• More than 500 Broadway artists, including Tony winners Wendell Pierce and James Monroe Iglehart, signed an open letter labeling her language “bullying” and urging her exclusion from industry events.
• On May 31, LuPone issued an Instagram statement accepting full responsibility for her “flippant and emotional” remarks and expressing a desire to apologize in person to Lewis and McDonald.
• Kecia Lewis had earlier accused LuPone of “bullying” and “racially microaggressive” behavior after noise complaints interrupted Lewis’s Hell’s Kitchen performances.
• With the 2025 Tony Awards scheduled for June 8, Broadway peers are debating whether LuPone should attend following the backlash.